


The Sword in the Stone

by Idk_hi_iguess



Series: Merlin Episode AUs [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adorable Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon doubting himself, Author Can't Tag, But Merthur owns my whole soul, Episode: s04e12-13 The Sword in the Stone, I LOVE HIM OK, I am not projecting on to characters because I haven't cried in 6 months why would you think that, I think this is it?, I was rewatching this scene and was flung into inspiration mode help, Kilgharrah ships merthur, M/M, No I don't like Uther how did you guess, The Author Regrets Nothing, anyway, author is not ok, i love gwen, or hilt really, take a shot everytime I say the word Sword
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 17:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16454174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idk_hi_iguess/pseuds/Idk_hi_iguess
Summary: Arthur never realised how much years of cutting comments from his father affected him until he was faced with a situation where he was forced to doubt himself and everything he had stood for.~Alternatively, Merlin magic go wheeee, Arthur cri and uther is a lil b i c t h





	The Sword in the Stone

**Author's Note:**

> yeah take a shot every time I mention a sword or hilt you'll have brain damage by the end.

“For once in your life, just...listen.” Arthur gave up, he held his hands up in defeat and motioned for Merlin to continue, figuring it was easier just to get it over with. “Many years ago, before the birth of the five kingdoms, this land was in an endless cycle of bloodshed and war, but one man was determined to end all that. He gathered together the elders of each tribe and drew up plans for the lands to be divided. Each would respect the others' boundaries, and drew it over the land as they saw fit. That man was Camelot's first king, ancestor to all that followed, including you, Arthur.”

“Bruta.” He rolled his eyes a bit, but made sure Merlin couldn’t see. 

“You know the story.” 

“Yes, every child in Camelot does. Can I go back to bed now?” Why was he even here? 

“No. Because there's another part of the story that you haven't heard.”

“Really?” He had to admit to himself that he was intrigued. 

“When Bruta was on his deathbed, he asked to be taken deep into the forest. There, with the last of his strength, he thrust his sword into a rock. If his lineage was ever questioned, this would form a test. Only a true king of Camelot could pull the weapon free.” The smile was gone from his voice, replaced by earnest belief, and it sent a chill down Arthur’s spine. 

Then doubt flooded his mind, this was his stupid manservant, what did he know? “Are you making this up?” 

“Of course not.” He couldn’t sort out if he was lying or not, so he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

“All right. If it's true, why haven't I heard this story?” Finally some sense. 

“Well, history isn't really your strong point, is it?” Idiot. 

“And where is this rock?” He was conflicted and gave up trying to think about it. 

“Oh, it was lost many years ago during the Great Purge, but...I've managed to find it.” 

“I've never heard so much rubbish in my entire life.” Why did he ever think to believe him. 

“Are you calling Gaius a liar?”

“No, I'm calling you an idiot.”

He paused and looked at the clearing beyond Arthur’s line of sight, “What's that then?”

He followed where Merlin was looking and was momentarily shocked by the hilt that stuck out of a white stone in the middle of a clearing. From the edges of the woods, the survivors of Camelot walked down the banks, gathering in front of him, and he felt tears spring in his eyes. These were his people, the citizen he had sworn to protect, and failed. In the front of it all he saw Leon and Percival, all the knights he had trained. 

He glanced back at Merlin, letting a tear spill down his cheek, and Merlin smiled at him.

“What the hell are you playing at?” He was going to fail and no one would believe he was their leader, and Tristan would be proven right. 

“I'm proving that you are their leader and their king.” Sometimes Merlin’s undying faith in him was inconvenient. And now his people wouldn’t even think of him as their king. 

“That sword is stuck fast in solid stone.” There was even a growth of stone and moss up the blade a bit, testament to how long it had sat there, undisturbed. 

“And you're going to pull it out.” There was no way in hell he could do that.

“Merlin, it's impossible.” He looked at the sword and back at Merlin. 

“Arthur, you're the true king of Camelot.” Everything in him wanted to believe Merlin but he knew that there was very little chance he was correct. 

Glancing around at the crowd of people stood, ever hopeful, they had lost so much in the last few days, family, friends, their homes, he couldn’t just give up on them, had to at least try, try and prove himself worthy of their believe in him even in the faith of the impossible. 

“Do you want me to look like a fool?” It didn’t sound like something he would do, but Arthur was trying to put off the moment he’d have to face his unworthiness. 

“No, I'm going to make you see that Tristan's wrong; you aren't just anyone, you are special. You and you alone can draw out that sword.” Merlin walked towards him and he pulled out his sword and stuck it in the ground. 

“You better be right about this.” He finds that he is shaking. 

“You have to believe, Arthur.” And he knows he has to, but a voice in the back of his head that sounds suspiciously like Uther is telling him that it is pointless even to try, he would always disappoint those around him. 

The metal of the hilt was surprisingly warm as he wrapped his hands around it, having shed his gloves a moment before. 

“You're destined to be Albion's greatest king.” 

Merlin is loud but Uther is louder, and he’s joined by the voice of Agravaine, and although he knows he’s a traitor it still hurts because it was the last connection he had to his mother and it is telling him how he could never hope to be the true king of Camelot, not with _tainted_ blood like his. 

“Nothing, not even this stone can stand in your way.”

He looks at the sword again, and sees his mother, as beautiful as she was the last time he saw her, her golden hair that resembled his tied into a braid, a silver dress adorning her body. He wanted to fall forward into her arms and he held in a way he was never permitted to be when he was a boy, he wanted to be rocked like a baby, small and sheltered. 

A sudden wave of something, he couldn’t pinpoint the emotion through the mess that his mind was in that moment, forced him to grab the sword.

His hand wrapped around it and he looked to Merlin once more. Merlin walked forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, he whispered, so that only Arthur could hear, the only two words he needed, 

 

Have faith.

 

Merlin pulled away and Arthur raised his chin high, like the proud Pendragon he was, and the believe in him surged from his Mother and Merlin, shouting down the voices of those who didn’t believe him. 

He tugged once more on the hilt, and felt a slight give. 

A surge of adrenaline furled in his gut and he pulled harder until he entire sword came from the rock.

  
  


He held it aloft.

  
  
  
  


“Long live the king!” Leon’s voice broke through the silence, and he almost broke down then and there.

  


“Long live the king!” The voices of the survivors of Camelot rang through the clearing, and from behind him he could hear Merlin in particular, shouting his believe to the heavens.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments I'm a thorsty bitch and I might do a part two on another episode.


End file.
